‘It would be a miracle’: Relic still missing from Cathedral of the Madeleine

SALT LAKE CITY ( ABC4 ) — Last week, the Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City reported that a relic of St. Mary Magdalene was stolen from the Cathedral of the Madeleine and, according to the latest update, it has yet to be returned.

The Diocese of Salt Lake City said the relic is a small bone fragment from St. Mary Magdalene and was stolen on July 10 . It was reported the theft was discovered at 7 a.m. that day when one of the cathedral staff found the reliquary broken on the floor beneath the crucifix. A recent press release said the relic is still missing.

“It would be a miracle if it were returned,” said Father Martin Diaz, the cathedral rector.

The press release said that Fr. Martin Diaz is proceeding as though the relic will not return, and is planning to send a request to Rome about obtaining another relic of St. Mary Magdalene.

However, the press release says this will not have the same historical significance as the original, which was brought to Utah in 1918 by the Right Rev. Joseph S. Glass, second Bishop of Salt Lake.

“It has no monetary value whatsoever,” Fr. Martin Diaz told ABC4.com. “In that sense, it’s both worthless and priceless at the same time. For us, there is no price and it just breaks your heart to have something that is so precious to the community just, in a sense, desecrated.”

Fr. Martin Diaz said he thinks this was likely not a case of vandalism, but someone looking for something of value they may be able to sell.

“They didn’t have any knowledge, they didn’t know what they were doing, and yet it has caused such hurt and pain in the community,” he said.

The press release goes on to say that for the July 22 celebration of the Solemnity of St. Mary Magdalene, the cathedral will display a relic borrowed from the Carmelite nuns at the Carmel of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Monastery in Salt Lake City.

The Diocese of Salt Lake City has been working with the Salt Lake Police Department to recover the relic. A reward of $1,000 has been offered for its return or information leading to its return.

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